Improvement in rope-railways



/Syzea" y i l J. H. MULLER.

l Improvement in Rope Railways. N0. 125,210. Y Patented Aprvl2,1872.

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lmprr'ovvement in Rope Ralways. No. 125,210. `PaternsdApfn2,1372.

UNITED STATES PATENT Charro JULIUS HERMANN MLLER, OF VIENNA, AUSTRIA, ASSIGNOR TO FRANCIS FELBIN GER, VOF IIflTTSBURGf, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPRVEMEINT lN ROPE-RAILWAS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N 125,210, dated April 2, 1872.

Specification describir; g a newand Improved Ropeltailway, invented by JULIUS H. ML- LER, otl Vienna, Austria.

The invention will iirst be fully describedl and then clearly pointed out in the claim.

Figure 1 is a plan view of apart of a section ot' the roperailway and an ordinary railway connecting with it. Fig. 2 is a side elevation ot the same, with a part broken out. Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing both ends ot' a section as when used for bridging a stream o r other space. Iliff. 4 is a plan ot' Fig. 3. Fig'. 5 is a. longitudinal section,showingtheadjustinglpulleys and their adjunets. Fig. 6 is a cross-section of Fig. 5 on the linexx. Fig. 7 is a partial cross-section ou the line y y. Fig. S is a plan view ofa yoke and adjusting-rod used for shifting the adjusting-pulleys. Fin'. 9 is a cross-section through the permanent pulley-gear and the driving mechanism. Fig. 10 is a partial plan View ot' a section in which the two ways are arranged in the same horizontal plane. Fig. 11 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of Fig. 10. Fig. 12 is a plan oi' a moditied arrangement ot' two ways in the same horizontal plane. Fig. 13 is a side elevation ot' the pulleys and adjusting gear ofthe modification ot' Fig. 1. F ig'. 14 is an end elevation of Fig. 13. Fig. 15 is an end elevation of a car, showing the shiftinghooks and tripping gear. Fig. 16 is a side elevation ot' Fig. 15. Fig. 17 shows a plan for adapting heavy weights to be transported on the railway; and Fig. 1S shows a plan for transporting logs.

Similar' letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts.

A, Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, represents a pair of large vertically-rotating grooved pulleys, mounted on a shaft, 13, arranged in fixed bearings, and gearing with any competent driving mechanism-say by a pulley, (J-l-to be worked by a belt; and D represents similar pulleys to be placed at the opposite end of the section, but they are mounted on separate short shafts or yokes E, or it may be other supports adapted for shitting forward and back, foradiusting the tension of the endless ropes used for rails, as shown at J, Figs. 5 and 7, and provided with adjustingscrews F, which may have screw-nuts G with worms H for turning them to eii'ect the adjustment, or any other adjusting apparatus may be used. These puileys carry the parallel ropes I, which constitute the rope-railway, and answer for the rails` ofthe ordinary road, and besides they constitate the means for transmitting the propelling power ot' the cars. The said ropes are stretched acrossanyspacesayariver,morass, chasm-or any place where it would be. dithcult and expensive to construct a permanent way, and will have intermediate supporting pulleys K'wherever needed to prevent sagging too much. Two endless ropes thus arranged constitute a double track or way, one part ot which moves in one direction at the top ot' the pulley, and another part at the bettom moves the reverse otl the top, so that ears or weights may be carried in both directions at once. lith these endless movable rails l connect an upper and lower section, L M, of the permanent way, as in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, or lateral branches, as at Fig. 10, at each end, as shown, when cars are to be run on them, as from a mine, to cross a river and ott' again, the said permanent ways running between the ropes below them, and gradually descending, so that hooked arms N l? on the cars projecting outward laterally from the sides will be received on said ropes and suspend said cars so as to take them oli' the permanent rails, and at the other end will ascend in the direction the car nieves, and will receive the wheels and gradually raise the cars ott the ropes, all ot' which will be accomplished automatically. At the side where the cars are received the rails ot the permanent way will descend cousiderably, as indicated at 0, to insure the receiving of the car, no matter how much the rope may sag, or they may be so arranged at both sides. The returning empty cars will, preferably, be run over the highest part ot' the wa y, and the loaded ones over the lowest part. The two sections ot' permanent way at each end will, ofcourse, have to be in the same vertical plane where they connect with theropeway, but cannot be so where the ripper part descends, so that one or bot-h will have to be curved. I prefer to curve the lower one, as here shown, but this is not material. In Figs. 1 and 2 this curve is arranged beyond the main-rope pulleys, so that the car does not have to pass between said pulleys; consequently its hooks may be tixed on rigidly-projecting` arms; but wllen arranged as shown ill Figs. 3 alld 4, where thc curves are arranged in advallce ot' said lllaill-rope pulleys, alld passes between thelll, such rigidly-projecting arllls would not pass between said pulleys, t'ol' ill order to bc taken upon the ropes tlley illust l project slightly beyond tllclll. Therefore. I alrange the hooks N on arllls P, Figs. l5 alld 16, pivoted to the car, so as to swillg up against the side ot' the ear ont ot the way ot' the wheels wllen required to pass between said pulleys, alld to swill g dowll again after alld to engzlgc the rope. wllell they will be held by cat-ches Q, with which the said arms engage autolllatically, when swung down by the actiell ot' the spring 1l alld a rod, S, the said catches being engaged, by arm U, with the rod by a groove, T, ill the upper elld, and the rod S beingcapable ot' rising and falling ill its supports alld forced down by the spring after being lifted by the arllls ill passing` the catches. This rod is extended nearly to the ground and provided with a roller in 'the lower elld to ran np an illclille, V, fixed ill its path just before the car passes between the pulleys for tripping the arms automatically. The said arms are thus automatically turlled up agaillst the side of the car by a spring, IV, coiled arould the rod on which tlley are pivoted. They are turned back again to the horizontal position by being provided with a llalld-crank pin, X, for the purpose. These brallches L M nlay come together by an ordinary switcll, or a transfer-car, A3, on a short cross-track, .A4, nlay be used for shifting the car from the main trunk,A5,to either branch,or vice versa..

In case of weights that nlay be lifted oli' and on the ropes readily, a sill glc ba r, Y, with two hooks, N, rigidly' connected'to the weight Z nlay be used; or when logs Z1, Fig. 18, are to be transported, notched cross-pieces Z2 may be placed on the ropes, and receive the log in a notcll in the upper side.

I do not propose to lilllit myself to the particular arrangement ot' automatic catching and tripping apparatus here sllown, for I mayelnploy any that will accomplish the same objects, or I ina-y fasten the arms in the horizontal position, alld release them by hand.

In case it is not convenient to have the lower permanent ways M descend as the upper ones do at O, to deliver the car on the ropes, the latter may be caused to ascend by gllide-pulleys A1, Fig.

In Figs. 10, 1l, alld 12 I have shown how the two ways may be arranged in the same horizontal plalle in two arrangements slightly (littering from each other.

In one case large wheels, B1, are used for the ropes B2, which constitutes the outside rail or rope for both ways, alld smaller wheels C1 for the ropes C2 constitute the inside rail or rope, the smaller wheels beillg )laced illside of the two parts of rope B2, and being as much less in diameter as twice the width ot' space between the ropes ot' one way 0r track. The smaller wlleels will he turned as nlucll faster than the larger ones as required to give equal speed te the rims carrying the ropes. These. wheels will be placed ill .an obliqlle plane, as shown ill the sectional view, Fig. l1, under the permanent tracks D', passing over them, and the ropes will ascend to a. sutlicient lleigllt abovel them to take the cars by passing over guide-pulleys E. The said wheels will be geared to a drivillg-sllaft,'I", at the elld ofthe section where the power is applied as sllown in Fig. 1.1,bnt at the other elld they will be mounted separately on studs or slipports G( ot' any killd capable of sliding forward alld back for adjusting the tellsioll of the rope, alld provided with adjusting-screws and nuts, as ill the case'ot'wlleels D.

The modification represented in Fig. 12 differs from' the above-described plan only ill the use ot' wheels B3 alld B4 ot' equal size, but so arranged that one laps over one part ot' one of the ropes, so that eacll rope constitutesone outside and one inside rope of each way.

Tllis plan ot' endlessrope railway may be employed with good results for long lilles made up ot' seetiolls ot' suitable length, but it is more particularly intended for crossing places over which it is ditlicult to build permanent ways.

Having tllus described my invention, I clailn as new and desire to secure by Letters latentl. The combination, with the elldless-rope railway, consisting ot' two parallel endless ropes, I I, arranged on the grooved drivingwheels A l), alld guiding alld supportingwheels K K, of the permanent railway, and of cars provided with the pivoted suspending hookbars alld the tripping device, as shown and described.

2. The worm-shafts H H, wheels G G, and yokes E E, provided with screw-shrinks F F, in colnbination with the driving-wheels D D, having sliding journal-blocks, all arranged as specified.

3. The combillation,wth said rope-railway, of sections of ordinary permanent railways, arranged for running the cals from one onto the otller, substantially as specified.

4. The combination, with the cars t'or endless'- rope railways, of shitting suspelulillg-a-rlns P, whether llavill g `autonlatically-turnill g, catching, and tripping apparatus or not, all substalltially as specified. l

5. The catches Q, rod S, spring It, and inclines V, combined with the hooked arms N P, substantially as specied.

The above specitication of my invention signed by me this 2d day of October, 1871.

JULIUS HERMANN MULLER.

Witnesses: s

WILLIAM IIIMING, WILHELM H. C. SCHMIDT. 

